When We Collide
by hands-of-blue
Summary: Bella and Alice are drawn together, but will love come at the cost of Alice's life with her blood on Bella's hands?
1. And so it goes

Hello readers. This is my first Twilight story, although I have written different stories, and I would greatly appreciate any feedback. Be as honest and detailed as you like. This is just the first chapter and I do not claim to follow the actual story at all really. I'm trying to keep this fairly original, but there are a lot of stories out there, so let me know if this starts to sound too similar to another piece of fan fiction you've read. I hope you enjoy.

Of course I don't own any of these characters.

And so it goes

_Strigoi, asanbosom, vetalas, mandurugo, vampire: these are a few of the names associated with those who I hunt. I know it sounds stupid; high school girl fails gym, yet aspires to kill the undead. I don't care though, after what happened to land me here in Forks, I'm going to track down and murder every blood sucker I find._

Isabella Swan was not an easy girl to get along with. The kids at her new high school thought she was oddly quiet and didn't think highly of her constant unkempt look. Of course Bella never let herself become concerned over her peers immature judgments about her. She could focus only on completing her last two years of school and remaining vigilant over the possible presence of vampires in town. Bella had moved to Washington just a few weeks ago, right in the middle of the school year, and her father has been working tirelessly ever since to make her feel welcome. In light of Bella's sudden dependence on him, Charlie had helped create a warm environment at home for his daughter and she did appreciate it immensely. They hadn't yet ventured into talking about her life before her arrival and Bella preferred it that way, at least for now. She did love Charlie and, as Bella awkwardly traversed her school's corridors, she eyed her classmates for any signs of vampirism. She would not let her father fall prey to one of the monsters while he was out on duty. So far Bella saw no concrete evidence to hold against anyone she passed during her days in Forks, although the whole Cullen family was rather strange. From what Bella had learned about vampires through old books and accredited websites, the Cullens didn't really match any evil descriptions, but she still got the wrong kind of vibes from them. There was one Cullen who Bella encountered a few times who actually made Bella feel…happy. Alice Cullen was quite stunning and sweeter than what Bella thought a person was capable of being. It didn't make sense for Alice to smile at Bella in the hallway or bend over to pick up books that Bella had dropped, especially when no one else dared do these things. And as much as Bella didn't want to admit it, these miniscule acts of kindness brightened Bella's heart even though she was sure that had become an impossibility.

On a particularly cloudy morning, Bella missed her alarm and woke up with a mere ten minutes to spare before school would begin. She threw on a worn t-shirt and slightly ripped jeans, stopping only to quickly brush her teeth, but forgoing combing her hair or eating breakfast. Bella raced out to her beat up pick-up truck and tried in vain to get the engine to start. The machine whinnied and puttered, but showed no real signs of life. Slamming her fists against the steering wheel and gritting her teeth, Bella hopped out of the vehicle and ushered Charlie's old bike out of the garage. She would miss her first class, no doubt about that, but she didn't want her father to think of her as a skipper no matter what the reasoning behind it was. Reluctantly, Bella climbed upon the bicycle and began peddling toward her destination.

Not two minutes had passed before a heavy rain descended on Bella, drenching her shivering body and tiring her muscles from pushing through the muddy, unpaved path to school. She contemplated turning around before the journey got to be too unbearable, but something stopped her from carrying on such thoughts. A black sports car slowed to a halt by the side of Bella's bike as the passenger side window purred down to reveal the driver.

"Hey Bella, looks like you could use a ride. Do you want to put your bicycle in the trunk?" Alice Cullen's melodic voice sung into Bella's ears.

"What are you doing here Alice; shouldn't you be at school already?" Bella temporarily ignored her aches and cold tremors. She certainly didn't mind this turn of events, but it did strike her as unusual.

"I could say the same for you missy! Come on, get in. I don't want to be the person responsible for letting a girl freeze to death because she was willing to do anything to get her high school education." Bella couldn't help, but let a tiny chuckle escape her lips as she moved to the back of Alice's car. The lid of the trunk popped up and the Cullen came out to make sure Bella could fit the bike in.

While silently maneuvering the transportation device into position, Alice's hand brushed against Bella's arm. This resulted in a small bolt of electricity that flew up Bella's limb and straight into her heart. Internally she was warmed and tingly, but externally her arm was much colder than before. Bella glanced at Alice, who was closing the trunk and returning to the driver's seat.

"Sleepy head let's go. Just how late do you plan on making us?" Alice giggled with her head out the window and the delightful sound snapped Bella from her musing. The teen stumbled into the car and relished in the seat warmer she found waiting for her. For the next couple minutes Bella was caught in a trance over her current situation. How odd it was for Alice, who never seemed to be tardy, to be coming by just as Bella would need her. Even more perplexing was the lack of heat that came from Alice's touch. At first Bella thought it was simply because it was cold outside, but Alice had been in the sufficiently warm car all the way from her house.

Bella let her questions fade as she realized Alice was pulling into the school parking lot. Alice had let her think in peace, which Bella also found confusing for such a talkative and joyous person to do. Nonetheless, Bella was grateful and thanked Alice for the ride once they had ran into the dry building.

"I'm just glad a saw you out there. I wouldn't want you to catch hypothermia or anything like that. I'll find you at the end of the day and give you a lift home too ok? See ya later Bella!" Alice lilted as she skipped away. Bella watched Alice go for a moment before shaking some rain water off of her clothes and then headed for class.


	2. Getting back into the Groove

Hello again. I'm glad to see that so far everyone is pleased with the story. I'll try to keep up the good work and produce these chapters as fast as possible. Just a little heads up, the song Can't Help Falling in Love-covered by Ingrid Michaelson is what inspired me to write about Alice and Bella. It's very pretty if you'd like to check it out.

Getting back into the Groove

The school day seemed to drag on a bit slower than normal for Bella today. She was sure it had something to do with her interest in being alone with Alice Cullen again. Something about the short teenager intrigued Bella. That something was currently a mystery, but Bella was determined to find out what it was. For some reason her obsession with vampires kept popping into the back of her mind when she thought of Alice. In all that Bella had learned about those despicable creatures, she found that every culture and period of time described varying traits about the monsters. Though Alice was a little aloof, Bella couldn't grasp the concept of such a kind being identifying as a member of the undead. Bella decided to take a huge risk with Alice. Bella would tell Alice why she moved to Forks; a secret she had told no one, but Charlie. Bella would become friends with the Cullen first, so as not to appear too eager to divulge such information. She felt no shame in planning on treating Alice with false kindness. Bella had made a promise to help eradicate the world of the vampire race and she intended to stick to that promise.

Bella blinked as the bell rang, signaling her release from the last class of the day. She slinked out of the classroom door and collected her things from her locker nearby. Bella then proceeded to leave the building and wait for Alice by the steps leading to the student parking lot. After only a few moments, Bella was greeted with a gentle tap on her shoulder.

"Hey there Bella, are you ready for me to bring you home?" Alice sweetly chimed after Bella turned around to face her.

"Sure, I'll guide you there." Bella said giving a weak smile as she followed Alice to her car. The two slipped in the vehicle and soon Alice peeled out of the lot.

"So how was your day Ms. Swan?" Alice kindly asked without looking over.

"Oh, it was fine. Biology was pretty boring today though." Bella was surprised how easily it was for her to let even that much information escape. She was so used to saying only a couple sentences in a whole day, most of them being spoken to Charlie.

"Yes I believe you have that class with my brother Edward. He tells me you seem to be really good at Biology. I suppose it was get boring for me too if I was a science genius." Alice pierced Bella with a small smirk. There was no bite to her response, just friendly teasing. It sent a little, happy tremor through Bella.

"And just how often does your brother talk about me?" Bella inquired, growing suspicious.

"Don't worry; he just mentioned it today when I told him I would be bringing you home." Bella relaxed a bit into her seat. A minute of silence passed, aside from Bella's occasional direction to Alice. Eventually Bella's curiosity got the best of her.

"Alice, not that I stalk you or anything, but I've never seen you arrive late to school before. What happened this morning? Why did your siblings leave without you?" Alice shifted in her seat ever so slightly. Bella wouldn't have noticed it if she hadn't already been looking for an uncomfortable reaction like that.

"I wasn't feeling very well when I woke up. I told them I would probably just stay home, but after they left I had this strange urging to tough it out today. It's a good thing I did change my mind or else you could have gotten sick riding in that weather! You should be more careful Bella." The sincerity in Alice's voice touched Bella. When was the last time someone other than a family member truly care about Bella's well-being?

"Yeah, thanks for picking me up by the way. You didn't have to do that. If you drove by I wouldn't have even know who you were." Bella saw Alice wince at her remark.

"It doesn't matter if you wouldn't have realized who I was to pass you by. I would know that I left you and I couldn't do such a thing." To Bella, the depth of Alice's gentle demeanor seemed to know no bounds. She could not be a vampire, but maybe, if Bella was willing to continue to try, Alice could actually become a real friend.

Bella didn't have time to carry on the conversation since she noticed her house coming into view. Alice steered the car into the driveway and cut off the engine. Bella exited and round to the back of the vehicle with Alice in close pursuit. Alice opened the trunk and helped Bella disengage the bike from its confinement. Before Alice could return to the driver's seat and pull away, Bella grabbed her icy wrist.

"Sorry, I just wanted to thank you again for doing all this for me."

"It was no problem at all. But maybe next time we hang out it can be under better circumstances." Alice pinned Bella was a beautiful smile and Bella swallowed hard. She couldn't believe what her mouth was already opening to say.

"Yeah, would you like to see a movie this weekend or something?" Bella's eyes widened for just a split second at her own comment. Where was her self-control? Bella hadn't spent time with a peer outside of school for quite some time. She would surely do something foolish, but why did she even care about what Alice thought of her?

"That would be great! How about we go on Saturday night? I can pick you up if you'd like?" Alice clasped her hands together in excitement and grinned brightly. How on Earth could Bella back down now?

"Sure, you can stop by whenever; I won't be busy." And with that the two waved goodbye to each other. Bella took an extra moment longer to open the door, so that she could watch Alice drive down the road. Charlie was not due home until much later, so Bella strode straight up to her room and flung her things onto the floor. She flopped into her chair at her desk and flipped on the computer. Today had been quite outlandish and, interestingly enough, the only way to make it feel more normal was for her to talk to her vampire hunters group.

The group consisted of ten individuals she had meant in Arizona just before moving to Washington. The members ranged from teenagers like her to middle-aged adults. They were all very supportive of Bella after the incident in her home state and agreed to keep her on the team even though she was leaving the Phoenix area. It was this group of people who taught Bella all she knew about vampires and coaxed her into making the vow to help the group exterminate the vermin.

Even while communicating with the vampire hunter leader, Bella was constantly haunted by flashes of Alice's charming smile. Bella convinced herself that she simply missed having someone her age to talk to. Bella had to fight to convince herself of this all night, up until the second she laid her head down to go to sleep.

Thursday and Friday crept by Bella in a haze. The shadow of Saturday hung over her head as if she went to face her death on that night. She tried to keep her distance from Alice during those two days, without appearing to be doing so on purpose. Bella feared about the outcome of the time the two would spend together this weekend. If all went well then she would feel better about advancing the friendship for a bit longer before revealing her secret to Alice. If something went wrong on Saturday, Bella found herself saddened at the idea of not being able to have a relationship with Alice Cullen.

On Saturday at 6:00 p.m. exactly, Bella answered her door to find Alice standing on the welcome mat. Charlie was pleased to know that his daughter was finally going out with someone and merrily waved to Alice from the couch.

"Hey Bella! I would have called to let you know I was coming, but I didn't have your phone number." Alice explained, not trying to make a move to enter the house uninvited.

"It's ok, let me just grab my things." Bella left the door open as she slid on her shoes and draped a jacket over her shoulders.

"I'll be back later dad. Will you be able to handle dinner tonight on your own?" Bella had gladly become accustomed to making most of the food around the house.

"I think I can manage for one night, you go on kiddo. Take care of my girl Alice." Bella blushed slightly at hearing her father's statement.

"I'll fend off any would be evil-doers, don't you worry about that sir!" Alice, still just outside the house, saluted to Charlie. Bella rolled her eyes and shut the door behind her. Alice giggled and ran to the car. Once Bella had joined her inside the vehicle, to Bella's pleasant dismay, they quickly agreed on a horror flick that was starting soon. Alice whipped out of the Swan driveway and Bella made a mental note to remember to brace herself when driving with the Cullen.

The combined three hours of the movie and driving around town went by uneventfully. Bella and Alice traded small bits of knowledge about each other like favorite places to visit someday and the most entertaining television shows to watch. Bella loosened up as time went by and discovered how inviting talking to Alice was. Alice didn't judge Bella because of anything she said and always seemed to be listening intently to hear what Bella would say next. Even in the moments of silence that they shared before one could think of a new topic to investigate, the stillness was not awkward.

"Well I would have kept you out longer, but to be honest I'm a little afraid you dad would put a warrant out for my arrest if I did!" Alice snickered at her own joke and Bella let slip a quick smile at her.

"You're probably right." Bella paused, but continued to look straight ahead. "Alice, I had fun tonight. If you want, I think I would like to do something like this again soon." After making that announcement, Bella gazed down at her lap.

"I would love to! Let's talk about it more during school. I should really get home now." Alice graced Bella with a hint of a smile and Bella nodded. They traded farewells and, yet again, Bella took her time opening the door to her house to visually follow Alice's car into the distance.

There it was, plain as day in Bella's heart. She had met someone who tolerated her. Bella, in turn, not only accepted their blossoming relationship, she yearned for more of it.


	3. Learning is a hard thing to do

Welcome back all. This is my second chapter I'm making in one night and things will pick up more and more as the story goes on. I'm not quite sure how long this adventure will be, but I'll make it a good ride the whole way through. Enjoy yourselves.

Learning is a hard thing to do

A full month rolled by since that first night Alice and Bella enjoyed together. During the course of that February, the two teenagers had grown increasingly close. In fact Alice asked Bella if she wanted to finally come over and meet all the Cullen's at their home that day after school, but Bella declined. Instead she told Alice she wanted to take a forest hike. Bella planned on opening up to Alice on their excursion. Bella came to realize that she wanted to do this not because she wished to see how Alice would react, but because she truly felt she had found a trusted friend in Alice Cullen.

Bella raced home when her classes were all finished and tried to prepare herself for Alice's arrival in an hour. This was going to be difficult, but a silly thought kept pestering Bella. How nice it would feel if she happened to start crying and Alice embraced her. She shook her head to clear her mind and searched the cupboards for a small snack. After eating, Bella changed into more comfortable clothes and packed a few items into a little messenger back to bring on the trip.

Far too soon for her taste, Bella heard the doorbell ring and knew Alice waited on the other end. As a final and hopefully unnecessary precaution, Bella had got some words of advice from her vampire hunter leader, Richard, last night. Richard had begun to assume that Bella would never find any vampires in a tiny town like Forks, but he still warned Bella about Alice. He didn't like some of Alice's little quirks, but Bella showed signs of resistance to his wisdom. Bella did promise Richard that she would keep her safety measure with her just in case. I vial filled with a strange liquid that fit in one's hand would protect her if Alice did indeed turn on her.

Now charging down her stairs to open the door for Alice, Bella made sure she could feel the vial in her bag. Alice grinned wide when she was rewarded with the sight of Bella and instantly tugged on her friend's arm.

"Bella come on, I'm looking forward to this hike!" Bella squirmed out of Alice grasp so that she could shut her house door. They abandoned Alice's car since a trail around Bella's home lead right into the forest.

* * *

The two stayed close while twisting through the woods. The first half hour passed in a comfortable silence. This was one of the things Bella grew to deeply appreciate about Alice; the shorter girl let Bella admire the scenery without feeling like every moment had to be filled with talking. Every once in a while Alice's arm or leg would bump into Bella's and every time this occurred Bella shivered. Whether it was due to the chill of Alice's skin or something more complex, Bella didn't know.

After a time the pair came upon a clearing that reveal a serene pond. Bella decided this would be a perfect place and time to stop and begin laying her heart bare. She motioned for Alice to follow her to a boulder perched by the water's edge. Bella sat cross legged against the giant rock while Alice knelt down and stuck her fingers into the pond.

"It's so funny feeling the little fish suck at your fingers. It's like they all are so eager to grant you an endless stream of kisses!" Alice giggled as she wiggled her digits around in the water. Bella smiled freely and then took a deep breath to steady herself. She did not notice Alice tense at that exact moment.

"Alice, why haven't you ever asked me why I ended up moving here?" Bella had tried to anticipate all of the possible ways to start this conversation; this was the best she had come up with.

Alice wiped off her fingers and turned to face Bella a foot away. "I just figured you'd tell me yourself if you ever wanted to." Bella accepted that answer, knowing how compassionate her friend was.

"Would you be ok if I told you why? I really want to get it off of my chest." Alice slowly tipped her head up and down. Bella took one more deep breath and averted her eyes to peer out over the pond while she spoke.

"This is going to sound crazy, I know that, but I promise you I'm not making any of it up. When I lived in Arizona, I lived with my mom. We were super close and everything in my life was just wonderful. I had a lot of friends and my mom, Renee, had found a really great guy to be with. Thinking about it now makes me feel a little bad, but I never even thought about my dad back then." Bella paused to make sure Alice was listening for the next part and, of course, she was.

"Then, a week before I ended up moving here, something really terrible happened. I was in my room having a hard time sleeping one night. I didn't know why at the time, but I just felt like something was wrong. My mom and I were the only ones home and I decided to go wake her up and talk. She was really good about giving me a pep talk whenever I needed one." Bella pushed back the tears that were desperately fighting to fall down her cheeks. Alice shuffled in her spot; most likely she saw the water patiently welling in Bella eyes. Bella continued on before Alice could stop here.

"I got out of bed and quietly went to her door. When I opened it, I saw a man crouched over her. As soon as he caught a glimpse of me, he stood up, hissed at me, and leapt back out the sliding glass door." Another pause to collect herself, but this time the tear broke through their dam and flooded her face. She rejected Alice's cooing and advancing hands. The comforting could wait, she needed to finish. Bella choked back her sobs and begged her voice to not give out just yet.

"I ran over to her…to her bed and s-she was bleeding, bleeding so much from her neck. I-I kept trying to shake her. I yelled at her to wake up, I just wanted to see her eyes open, but…but nothing came. I held her all ni-night and called the cops…in the morning. They told me, they told me it must have been some crazy, homeless man. He had red eyes and sharp teeth and…and he fucking hiss at me!" Bella swiped at her eyes and suddenly settled into a very serious manner. Her face darkened and her whole body stiffened. All the while Alice never attempted to interrupt, but rather sat quietly awaiting her time to console her friend.

"For the next couple days after that I researched to possibly find out what the hell was wrong with that man. At first I thought it had to be some kind of disease or something, but then I came upon a guy named Richard. Richard told me he headed up a vampire hunting group and, through talking with Richard; I realized that the man in my house that night was a vampire. From there I joined Richard's little club and agreed to help him get rid of those disgusting creatures." Bella dared to take a look over at Alice's face. It was as if her friend was looking through her and Bella worried that Alice thought she was insane.

"Look, I know it sounds crazy, I told you it would. But you need to believe me when I say that I truly think it was a vampire that killed my mom! I already had to leave Phoenix because people thought I had lost my mind, please Alice, don't turn your back on me too." Bella began to silently cry again and this time Alice swiftly took Bella into her arms.

"Shh, it's ok Bella. I believe you. I'm so sorry something like that happened to you. Is there anything I can do?" Alice whispered into Bella's ear while she rocked her gently.

"I just need you to stay with me like this for a little while Alice. Sometimes I feel like maybe I am crazy. I just want to know that someone still cares about me and won't leave me." Bella sniffled into Alice's shirt and gripped tightly around her friend's waist.

"Bella, I'm here for you. No matter what, I'll always be here for you." Alice repeatedly kissed the top of Bella's head in reassurance. The two remained in that position for longer than they cared to know until they thought it best to return to civilization. As they carefully made their way back to Bella's house, Alice discreetly reached for Bella's hand and held it the whole way home.

* * *

Later that night, after Alice had departed from Bella with one last tantalizingly cold hug, Bella punched in the keys on her phone to make a call.

"Hello?" Came a deep man's voice following a few rings.

"Hey Richard, it's Bella. I told Alice about the vampire today." Bella cracked a happy smile just mentioning Alice's name.

"And? What did she do? Is she safe?" Richard raised the volume with each syllable. It made Bella regret having to give her answer.

"Well, I don't really know what she was like when I was telling the story. I couldn't look at her. I was too worried that she would…that she would think I am…crazy." Richard sighed deeply on the other end of the line.

"Bella, if Alice is a vampire then her whole family is too. That would be a lot of vampires in one little town. How are we supposed to keep humans safe if we're too afraid that a possible vampire may not like us anymore?" Richard spat out the last sentence. Bella knew she had messed up as a hunter, but Alice simply could not be a vampire.

"I understand Richard, but after I told her, Alice comforted me. She didn't seem to act any differently then she normally would." Bella thought she had him there. She was beginning to get more than just a little annoyed that he was attacking her best friend like this.

"And how many 'normal' people have you met that didn't think you're crazy after telling them that story? The fact that she wasn't put off by it is a sign of her vampirism to me. Bella, if you're so sure that she is human then fine; I don't want an innocent person to get hurt. But you need to find out for sure. And if you can't, then I'll fly up there and solve it myself. You have one more month." With that, Richard hung up. Bella sat stunned on her bed for a minute. _I can't let a stupid mistake I made get Alice killed. I need to do something to figure out if she is innocent or not. I hope she is. _Imaging Alice as a vampire, one of the vile beings that ruthlessly murdered her mother, made Bella sick to her stomach. And if Alice did turn out to be one of these undead, could Bella snuff out her life? Bella explored the bag she had brought on the hike with her and dug out the mysterious vial. Examining the contents of the tube as it twirled around, the weight of the world seemed to be pressing Bella down.


	4. Oh how time ticks by

Hey there. I wanted to let everyone know that I'm formulating ideas for a couple other Alice and Bella stories, but I probably won't start those until I finish this one. Sorry for the wait for this chapter; I'm getting ready to go on vacation, but I'll have my laptop with me.

Oh how time ticks by

**Week One**

How did she end up like this? Where did she go wrong? Bella had begun her relationship with Alice completely in control. She had a clear objective and a means of accomplishing it. All Bella had intended to do was discover if the Cullens were in fact vampires. Yet here she stood, outside the door to the lunchroom, dreading what awaited her inside. How had Alice made Bella care about her so fully? Well it was simple; none of this was happening.

No, Bella told herself, she didn't feel strongly for Alice. Perhaps she fooled herself into believing that Alice was something special to her. Why she would do that to herself didn't matter. And as Bella swung through the doors and made a B-line away from Alice to sit alone, Bella chanted in her head.

_She is nothing to you. You owe her nothing. You don't really have any feelings for her; she probably just caught you off guard with her sickeningly sweet personality. _

Repeating these phrases over and over, Bella knew she could handle trying to expose Alice as a vampire. She needed to find the strength to do so somehow or else it would be left to Richard. She refused to let it get to that point, even if she didn't care about Alice. Bella would be a failure in Richard's eyes. More importantly, she would be a failure in defending her mother's honor and dignity.

Several times during lunch Alice attempted to get Bella's attention. Bits of food would sail over and land near Bella's feet, or questioning eyes pleaded to make contact with Bella's. These approaches proved futile. Bella lightly piled and then demolished mountains of food on her tray, never actually taking a bite. She knew Alice wanted desperately to converse with her, yet Alice seemed to know enough not to invade her space. Bella loved that about Alice.

_Wait, you don't love her. You don't even like her! She. Is. Nothing._

Bella was forced to come up with a new strategy. She couldn't just ignore Alice; that wouldn't help in her quest to learn the nature of Alice's existence. Even though Bella was defiantly not Alice's friend, she still had to act like one; you know, for appearances sake.

Bella rummaged around in her backpack and pulled out a piece of paper and pencil. She hastily scribbled something onto the paper then made her way over to the Cullens' table. Bella slide the note over to Alice and pushed out a miniature smile for her before practically running out of the room.

Bella quickly spun around and peered back through the window in the lunchroom door to see what Alice's reaction to the note would be. Alice didn't let any emotion slip out, so Bella turned on her heel and left before Alice might see her standing there.

* * *

Bella sat patiently on the hood of Alice's car. Bella had quite literally flown out to the parking lot as soon as school was over with; she wanted to catch Alice before she left for the day. Bella couldn't imagine Alice not agreeing to what Bella had requested on that piece of paper.

After waiting for a number of minutes, watching most of the student body vacate the premises, the Cullens emerged. As if in slow motion, Emmet and Rosalie appeared first, followed closely by Jasper, and trailed by Edward. Bella noticed, much to her unnerving displeasure, that all of Alice's siblings were glaring at her. What had Bella done to upset them so? And where was Alice?

Bella waved for one of the Cullens to come her way. Rosalie pretended she didn't see Bella's motion at all. Emmet adjusted so that he could receive Bella's invitation, but Rosalie snatched his arm and yanked him away. Jasper eyed up Bella for a moment, but continued to glide by. Bella felt a tremendous wall of distrust and sadness after Jasper discontinued his scan of her. Shaking off the sudden fit of emotion, Bella looked back up to see Edward sulking over to her.

"Um, hey Edward, where's Alice?" Bella nervously shifted off of Alice's car. Edward looked like he was in agony just to have to talk to Bella.

"I'm warning you, Alice thinks you're very important. I sincerely hope you are not planning on doing anything to jeopardize how Alice feels about you. None of us wanted to take a chance on you, but she convinced us that you were different. Do not break her." Edward finished his rant with a harsh stare down then parted ways and sped off with the rest of his siblings. Bella stood speechless and paralyzed. What the hell did any of that mean?

As Bella mulled over Edward's words, Alice appeared and softly laid a hand on Bella's shoulder. The taller teen visibly trembled under Alice's unexpected touch.

"Hi Bella. I read your note. I know I said I wanted you to come over to my house soon, but do you think we could do that next week sometime? My mom is just remodeling a couple of the rooms, so it's pretty messy everywhere. What do you think?" Alice timidly tilted her head up to connect with Bella's eyes.

_Alice's eyes are so incredible. All the Cullen's have such beautiful golden eyes, but Alice's are so much better. Gooey honey endlessly swirled around, enticing me to gaze ever deeper into them. What would I find when I finally got to the bottom?_

That thought spurred Bella out of her musings. She had to get into the Cullens' home to observe and know without a doubt if they were bloodsucking horrors.

"Alice, we need to talk about some things."

"Why do we need to talk at my house specifically?"

"I just need answers."

"Ok, but I can give you answers at your house."

"Why are you being so difficult? I just want to go to your house and discuss things with you!" Bella stepped forward and shouted into Alice's face. The shorter teenager didn't fumble back or brace herself. Her jaw did clenched, sending a frightening demeanor across her porcelain face; it made Bella gasp. Yet in that moment Bella searched Alice's eyes, those amber vortexes, and reached the bottom.

_Disappointment, fear, anger, and sadness, yes, mostly sadness. She wants to cry; why does she not?_

Bella fell back into her regular stance and hung her head slightly. All she felt was furious when she looked at Alice now, but her brain still told her that she has crossed a line.

"The remodeling will be done soon. You can come over to the house next weekend. Until then, I don't really know what to say to you right now. Maybe we should have a little time apart. I don't want us to hurt each other." With that, Alice struggled a bit to flash Bella a smile and jumped into her car.

This was not how it was supposed to work out. This whole situation was in shambles and Bella didn't know how to salvage it. The Cullens were freaks, Richard was an idiot, Bella felt stupid, and she hated Charlie just because.

_God damn this whole thing, I'm so sick of it! I shouldn't have to deal with any of this. Why can't Alice and I be friends like normal people? Why did some psychotic punk have to kill my mom? Why am I in fucking Forks? _

Bella wanted to escape from this place and try to think logically. Her head was pounding and she thought she was going to pass out, but she got in her truck anyways. The forest, she would go to the forest.

* * *

Charlie wasn't home yet, of course, so Bella slammed the truck door closed and left it behind to venture into the woods beyond the house. She fought to clear her mind of the resentful things viciously battling around in her head. Bella was focusing so intently on her inner demons that she paid no heed to the numerous bloody little scratches she was receiving from stray branches.

_I feel so much horrid pain and it's all her fault! If she wasn't so strange than I wouldn't have told Richard she might be a vampire. I wouldn't have to think about killing her for my mom. I wouldn't have to experience these hot tears scorching the sides of my face right now!_

Blinded by her watery eyes and weak from her various small wounds, Bella tripped over a tree's root and smacked onto the cold forest floor in a heap. The ground was not chilled, but somehow still warm with love like Alice's embrace just a few days ago. An embrace Bella was sure she would never be graced with again. So there she lay, tired and defeated, debating even trying to get up. As if some miracle was guiding Bella out of her darkness, a ray of sun light broke through the branches and splashed onto Bella's face. Her interest was piqued, so she pulled herself up and stumbled about to follow the path of the ray. Slowly, the hanging leaves left her sight and shining beams filled her vision.

_The clearing, the pond, this is where we sat. I told her my story here and she held me. I told her my story, and she accepted me. _

Bella spotted the giant boulder they had positioned themselves against and ran to it as if it were a long awaited reunion. She placed a hand on the boulder's side, where Alice had leaned while supporting Bella's crying form. Instantly a tingly sensation trickled up Bella's fingers, spiraled around her arm, bled into her chest, and rested in her heart. What a fool she had been to treat Alice the way she did. Maybe her friend was a vampire, but surely she was not evil like the one who committed the murder. Perhaps Richard would come to understand the genuine kindness that Alice possessed and agree to spare her life.

Bella could only hope that there was some way to save Alice. For all she knew, Alice and her family could have been blood thirsty denizens, but Bella's presence had swayed Alice. After all, the Cullen siblings certainly didn't seem to think much of Bella except for Alice. And just maybe, that meant that when Alice caught glimpses of Bella, her heart soared and gushed as much as Bella's did.

The inevitable would happen; Richard would still be expecting word of Alice's innocence, or her death. But if at all possible, Bella would give anything to make sure Alice was safe. As proof of this claim, Bella dropped to her knees and prayed to all the gods she could remember from around the world.

_Please, I know Alice and her family may be undead, but I cannot see them die. I'll be a good person and volunteer at homeless shelters or something, just don't make me have to kill Alice. I know Richard will try, but please, I beseech you, do not make me make that choice. I'll do anything you want. _

Wanting to get home and clean herself up before Charlie got back, Bella finally picked her sore limbs up and trudged home. She wanted so badly to be able to call Alice and plead for forgiveness for how she had acted. But Alice needed her space now and Bella loved her too much to disrespect that.

_Love. Hmmm, do I love Alice Cullen? What an intriguing concept. Yes, perhaps I do. _


	5. Opened eyes burn

Hey guys. So there is no excuse for why it's taken me this long to update the story. I apologize profusely and will not waste anymore of your time blabbing.

Opened eyes burn

**Week Two**

Every night Bella fought to get to sleep. When, and if, sleep did drag down her eyelids, Bella found herself awoken by her own heart smashing itself against her chest. Gripping the area where the frantic organ beat itself, Bella was made aware of her cheeks staining themselves with tears and her clothes clawing at her body from her sweat. Why did love have to hurt so much?

Alice didn't really talk to Bella at all that week and it left Bella with terrible images when the moon met the stars and darkness crept into her room. Visions of death and heartbreak consumed Bella's every waking and resting thought. But there were moments when her world was pierced by light, just as it had been in the forest not so long ago.

Sometimes during lunch, in the hallways or out at the parking lot, Bella would sneak a peek at Alice. Even though the gorgeous Cullen apparently became mute, Alice always enchanted Bella with a smile or wave of the hand. This little action made Bella's whole body pulse with energy and peace. Their relationship was not tarnished; it could still be saved and strengthened. Bella wanted nothing more than to crash into Alice's arms and become infused with those flawless appendages. Yet every time Alice did fling a kind gesture Bella's way, the shorter teen seemed pained to have to do so. At first Bella assumed that this meant Alice was forcing herself to be polite, but she let that fear fade away.

_Alice wouldn't have to make herself be nice to someone; she already is as sweet as you can get! Maybe it has something to do with her family. They were really pissed off at me before, so they could be keeping her away from me. _

Bella soon dropped that possibility as well. The Cullen siblings did still look upon her with apprehension, but they also adopted a sort of sympathy with her since her blowup on Alice. Well, Rosalie seemed to hate Bella's guts more than ever, but the blond female was not the best member of the family to accurately gauge all the others' attitudes.

_What if what Alice said about her mom fixing up the house was true? Could something bad have happened at home because of it?_

Suddenly, feeling like a complete jerk, Bella had the crippling urge to make Alice talk to her again.

* * *

It was Thursday, almost time for the weekend to bestow its glory on teenagers everywhere. Last week Alice did basically promise Bella that she could finally come over to the Cullens' residence this weekend. As excited as Bella was to hopefully put nearly everything out on the table with Alice, she needed to make sure things were ok first. If it wasn't, if someone got hurt working on the house or something, Bella didn't want to spring so much on Alice at once. Bella would have to wait another week and only hope that time wouldn't run out on them.

Reluctantly, but with purpose, Bella marched up to Edward before Biology started and plopped herself down next to him. He eyed her strangely sideways and turned to face her slowly.

For lab assignments the two had been partners, but when a new guy came to school the teacher asked Edward to show him the ropes. Now Bella sat before him appearing more strong-willed and relaxed than the whole time they worked together.

"Edward, it's very important that I talk to Alice before Sunday rolls around. There's something I need to know and I'm sure you could answer it for me, but I'd prefer to hear it from her. No offense, but…I miss Alice." Instead of hiding her face from Edward's intimidating stare, Bella stared back at him. "So, if you could be so kind as to let her know that I'd really like to speak with her soon, I'd appreciate it." Silence filled the void between the two as if the hustle of the outside world had melted away. A second later Edward balked and shook his head ever so slightly.

"I'll tell her what you told me. Trust me, she'll find you when she's ready." Edward's new lab partner had entered the room and was fast approaching where Bella was sitting. Her breathing increased and her eyes fluttered between the two boys.

_Oh no, no, just one more minute, please!_

"But what do you mean by that? What if she's not ready in time?" Bella's voice cracked a bit and her grip on her backpack straps tightened. Edward smirked and made a shooing motion to Bella.

"She always picks the right time. That's all you need to know about that right now." Before Bella could protest any longer, Edward swung back to face the front of the class and his partner whapped the side of the table with his fingers a couple of times. Unfortunately, that concluded the conversation, for now. There was so much more Bella wanted to ask, but she got the feeling that she should just get used to that emotion when dealing with this family. Without much choice left, Bella leapt up from the seat to allow the new guy its comfort.

All throughout class, Bella shot glares at Edward, hoping to unnerve him into talking more after class. Of course her plan was going horribly wrong seeing as she sat behind Edward and her nasty looks were simply deflecting harmlessly off his back. Damn life, she couldn't even coerce someone properly!

By the time class did reach its end, Bella had a headache from squinting angrily at the present Cullen for so long.

_I guess I'll just have to trust that he'll deliver my message. But I swear, if Alice doesn't come talk to me before the day is over, I'm gonna get that pretty little bastard!_

Feeling confidant in having a new plan that didn't involve eye strain, Bella gathered her things and quietly followed the stream of students out into the hallway. For the duration of the day, she eagerly awaited every turn of the corner that she usually ran into Alice at, or every class Alice had before her where Bella might catch a lingering waft of Alice's enticing scent of mint and cinnamon. Much to Bella's unpleasant dismay, Alice was never found standing at the ready to talk around these corners or in these rooms. With each passing hour hitting Bella so unceremoniously like this, her rage with Edward swirled and flared to its breaking point.

The air outside was humid and thick, preparing for a heavy rain tonight. Black clouds were amassing, anxious to let loose their repertoire of lightning flashes and thunder eruptions. The trees dared not let a single whisper of wind leak through their branches and disturb the calm.

Inside, the collective metal arms on all of the bells mounted around the school walls groaned as they were pulled back, aiming to strike their centers. A girl next to Bella coughed. The teacher next door was yelling.

Bella Swan was about to set in motion a chain of life altering events.

The metal arms smacked their respective bells. The teacher and the girl were drowned out by the ringing. The black clouds outside exploded into waterfalls. The air hummed with sparks of lightning bolts. The silent tree branches released their wind hounds.

Bella chased down Edward Cullen in a secluded hallway far from any classrooms, so the lockers here were barely touched.

"Edward, you told me you would talk to Alice. So why hasn't she came to me yet?" Bella thrust out her hand to grab Edward's elbow. He flung his arm away as he spun on his heel to confront Bella face to face.

"I did talk to her. I told you she would find you when she was ready. Now leave me alone Ms. Swan, we have no further business together." Edward straightened his shirt and cracked his neck before attempting to turn and dismiss Bella. Instead, the girl became more furious with his arrogant display, and clawed at his elbow again.

"Edward, where is she right now? I'm being very serious here. Even someone as dense as you should be able to see that!" Bella's eyes squinted again; possibly from throwing more mental daggers are Edward, but also from the massive headache that ceased to rake across her brain.

Edward yet again ripped his arm away from Bella, but this time when he spoke it was dripping with anger seeping up from his chest.

"Bella, I suggest you stop pursuing me now. I do not know where my sister is at the current moment and even if I did, I don't imagine I would want to tell you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I am going home and you should do the same. Perhaps Alice will visit with you tomorrow." Bella could tell Edward was making his best effort at creating a minor crooked smile to purse his lips for her, but at this point in time she could care less about what he was trying to do. Overcome with so many powerful emotions as she was over her predicament, Bella lashed out one last time. This last assault was all it took for the Cullen to weaken.

"Really, you don't know where she is? Why not Edward? You and your family are filled with so many freaks, I would have assumed that you even knew when Alice was going to the bathroom!" Bella shouted after Edward as he marched down the empty hallway. The moment her last sentence escaped Bella's mouth, the Cullen had stopped, leapt back at her, and clenched his hand around her throat in one seamless motion. This action did not take Bella by nearly as much surprise as when Edward bared his fangs at her and hissed.

_Those fangs so sharp and white like his and that hiss so primal and ancient like his._

Remember the cinching at her neck, Bella scratched at Edward's hand pressing on her veins.

_There was blood, so much blood everywhere. Am I going to die like her? Should I have just killed Alice when I had the chance?_

As if on cue, Alice Cullen rounded the nearest corner and jumped onto Edward's back. In a flurry, the siblings wrestled on the cement floor while Bella fought to keep her balance from the shocked release she just received. Bella could tell the Cullens were battling before her even though her mortal eyes could not decipher the exact blows that were taking place. As quickly as it all began, it ended with Alice straddling Edward's back, pinning his arms up and behind him with his hands clasped together and digging into the back of his own neck. He would squirm and growl almost inaudibly, but then Alice would grant him a swift heel in his side.

"Bella, are you unharmed?" Alice finally bore into Bella's eyes with regret and, what Bella dared to believe, a hint of love. The human girl rubbed around her throat for another moment, but choked out a response for her friend.

"I think so." Bella's voice seemed so small and fragile like a child's. Her hands trembled slightly and Alice knew she was relieving that horrifying night in Phoenix.

"Bella, please, go home. I'll be there later tonight." Alice's tone beseeched Bella to take heed of her words and so the teenager did. Stealing one last glance at the now revealed vampires on the cold floor, Bella picked up her bag and ran out of the school. Once she made it to her truck through the pouring rain, Bella threw the vehicle into gear and sped home going faster than she cared to notice. The tears coursing down her cheeks matched the intensity of the ones gliding down her windows outside.

* * *

Back in the hallway, Alice sighed as her brother Edward struggled against her grip on the floor. He was no longer enraged as he was before; now he was plainly reprimanding Alice for attacking him. With enough force to crush a human skull, but nothing more than a meek, yet stern tap for a vampire, Alice's head butted the back of Edward's. With that, she let his hands go free and twirled off of him so he could stand.

"Edward, what the hell were you thinking? You could have hurt her!" Alice spoke in a hushed voice, but gave Edward one more solid whack to the forehead with the palm of her hand. Her brother hurriedly collected his personal items and unnaturally quickly existed the building with his sister.

"You don't know what she said. She crossed the line!" Edward tried to convince Alice while they hopped into his car and navigated their way through the downpour. Alice knew her brother would never act like that around a human unless a nerve was really struck, but it didn't at all excuse his behavior.

"It doesn't matter Edward, you scared her! This is not how she was to find out our secret. She must have made a different decision and changed the future." Alice shook out her wet hair as she thought back to her original vision of this event.

Alice and Bella were suppose to sit on Alice's useless bed and stay up into the early hours of the morning trading all of each other's history. Yes, this vision let Alice know that Bella was working with a vampire hunter named Richard. For weeks Alice had been preparing to walk down this path of discovery with Bella and hope that Bella chose peace. It was never clear if the teen was going to kill Alice or not; apparently the human had not yet made up her mind fully on the subject. And what just transpired did not sit well with Alice Cullen.

"You're right, I'm really sorry Alice. What are we going to do now?" Edward looked over at his sister sorrowfully as they halted in their driveway. Alice bit her lower lip, hard, while gazing out her window. Minutes ticked by as water bullets pelted the steel casing around the vampires. Slowly, Alice removed herself from her trance and tried to convey with every thought and breath she had to Edward the severity of what she was about to say.

"We aren't going to do anything. I, on the other hand, am going to see Bella and patch this up. And Edward, you mustn't tell anyone about what happened no matter how much they might prod you to do so." Alice held up one slender hand to silence her brother's feeble attempt at an argument.

"I will be fine. I just want to make sure that she is fine." The male Cullen could tell that nothing he could say would dissuade his female counterpart. With a sharp inhale, he nodded his approval and blew out a sigh of relief when his sister rewarded him with a gentle side hug.

"Oh, and sorry about doing that whole sneak attack on you and all. I guess I simply don't know my own strength!" Alice piped in after sliding out of her seat and slamming the car door behind her. Edward closed his eyes and grinned at the charm of his sister. Hopefully that would be enough to persuade a human not to exact an unfair revenge upon her.

"Of course, those thoughts of overwhelming love I sensed from Bella when Alice rescued her might not hurt either." Edward whispered as he opened his eyes and caught one last glimpse of Alice Cullen disappearing into the murmur and gloom of the dying storm.


	6. Make a move

Hi guys. I'm not quite sure why I'm not getting very many reviews. If you would be willing to take the extra minute to let me know your thoughts on the story, I'd greatly appreciate it. It helps me become a better writer and also produce a more enjoyable piece of work for all of you to read. And with that, off we go.

Make a move

Bella Swan was useless. She lay in a puddle atop the covers on her bed, utterly useless. Being in the mental state that she was, which was not so unlike the REM cycle of sleep, left her body crippled for the half hour she had been home. Her eyes remained open, but they barely registered so much as a flutter of the lid. Her feet and hands twitched from time to time, but only at the really bad moments. Breathing in this condition was quick and shallow for Bella.

_He had me trapped. Trapped._

_She was trapped. He had her trapped._

_The blood was screaming in my throat. I could feel it. So close to bursting._

_Did her blood scream? Could she feel it burst?_

_Those beautiful golden eyes. They were of a monster._

_Just like his hateful red ones._

Bella sucked in a massive breathe and frantically started rubbing her stinging eyes. Something had awoken her out of her trance, but she didn't know what. With her pained and blurry vision, Bella began searching the room to see what had startled her. When she tried to inch her body off of her bed, a new problem presented itself. All of her limbs hissed with a numbness acquired from lying in the same awkward position without moving for so long. As Bella made the effort to shake out the irritating feeling, her pounding headache from earlier returned with vengeance.

_What the hell, I just want to get out of bed god damnit! And what in the world is that awful sound?_

Bella whined and doubled over in agony as the music of exploding bombs filled her senses. Clutching her throbbing head and whipping her numb feet against the floor, Bella attempted to open her eyes once more. As she scanned her room through half closed lenses, a commotion at her window caught her attention.

Luckily there was not a madman setting off grenades outside her house, just little pebbles hurling themselves at her closed window. Stumbling in the darkness of the deceased storm, Bella made her way to the glass panel at a snail's pace.

_Who the hell is torturing me like this? _

Bella froze just before letting her hand reach the windowsill.

_What if it's Edward coming back to finish off the job? What if he's killed Alice to get to me?_

Thinking quickly, Bella crossed her room to her dresser. Her quivering fingers gently pulled back her top drawer and pushed aside mounds of folded shirts. Eventually, Bella found the item she was looking for. Now, her whole arms shook as she wrapped both of her hands around the small black vial from Richard. This mysterious potion felt wrong, evil even. Yet this little bottle would supposedly be the thing to save her if it came to that.

_Maybe if I kill Edward I won't have to kill Alice. I won't have to kill my savior, my love._

Again Bella stopped moving or even thinking when she realized the tormenting sound of rocks crashing against her window had stopped invaded her hearing. Gripping the vial tightly in her right hand and cupping it behind her back, Bella shuffled back over to her window. Hesitating for a moment, Bella finally unlocked the latches and raised the window with her left hand.

The human was instantly struck with a wave of cool, wet air and she immediately gasped to flood her lungs with as much of it as possible. The sensation was refreshing and invigorated her, but for just a second. Remembering why she was standing here in the first place, Bella snapped her eyes open and nervously lowered her line of sight to see one story below her to the ground.

_I can do this. I can do this. I am a vampire hunter. I can avenge my mother's death. I will do this._

Her body trembled. Her breathing increased. Bella knew she was mere moments away from staring a crazed vampire in the face and engaging in a fight for survival. She visually skimmed down the tree outside her window.

_Here it comes. The moment of truth . . . I'm not ready!_

And there the vampire stood. Smooth honey pools met shivering mahogany ones. Perfect pale skin tensed and flexed; the muscles underneath propelled the creature forward. But a death leap never came. A fanged invader never reached Bella's face to tear it off. Instead, an unsure hand waved a timid greeting to Bella.

"Alice!" Bella cried out. "What are you doing out there? You're soaking wet. Get your ass in here!" The human slipped her head back into her room and turned to run downstairs and let Alice into her home. Before Bella could even finish twisting her body around, however, she heard a light thump behind her. She inhaled suddenly and swung back around. There Alice stood leaning against Bella's wall with her head slightly bowed and water dripping off her body.

"I figured everything was going to come out now, so I didn't see the point in hiding it anymore." Alice whispered, barely loud enough for Bella's human ears to understand. Bella nodded and then gazed down at the object resting in her palm. Exhaling deeply, she reached over and set the vial onto the desktop next to Alice.

_If this really is going to be sharing time then we'll talk about that damn thing too. But first things first._

Without wasting another minute, Bella flung herself into Alice's arms. Even though the vampire's arms had been folded across her chest, somehow Bella knew they would eagerly be awaiting her by the time the two collided together.

"Sweetheart, I'm going to get your clothes all wet." Alice giggled through the locks of Bella's hair that was clouding the shorter girl's mouth. No response emanated from the human female; she simply clung around Alice's shoulders even more desperately than before.

They remained wrapped in the embrace for a few minutes until Bella peeped up. "Alice, are you ok? I thought for sure your brother would kill you after I left." Alice sighed quietly before answering and when she did, she stroked Bella's back softly.

"He would never do something like that Bella. Besides, he couldn't even if he wanted to. Edward may be faster than I am, but I'm a much better fighter." Alice pulled away from Bella gently and held her at arm's length. The vampire wanted to make sure Bella could witness the warm smile and playful wink Alice was giving her. As was intended, it produced a shy grin on Bella's own lips to reveal itself. Once Alice's smile faded a bit, Bella thrust herself back into Alice's grasp. The human pawed at the back of Alice's head with one hand and lodged her arm around Alice's back with the other. This was where Bella wanted to be. This was where she had needed to be all along.

"I'm so sorry about what happened with Edward. From what I hear you threw down the gauntlet, but that was a battle he had no right whatsoever to enter into." Alice waited to see if Bella would reply this time, but again was met with no words.

"I know it scared you. I could see it in your eyes. It was my fault for not admitting what we are to you sooner, but I know about the decision you face Bella." With this spoken, Bella detached her body from Alice and locked eyes with the vampire. For a moment gold and brown mixed and danced together in silent contemplation.

"No more secrets Alice. None. We both need to open up before this goes any further." Alice agreed and she obliged by floating over to sit on the edge of Bella's bed. When the human failed to follow, Alice patted the spot next to her and flashed another flawless smile. Bella felt a prickling heat creeping up into her cheeks.

_No, stop self. I can't blush right now, this is serious stuff!_

Bella's hands flailed up and slapped her own cheeks with a violent crack. Tears sprung forth from Bella's eyes and her mouth opened halfway to release a whimper that never quite manifested.

"Bella, what on Earth. Come here." Alice lunged forward, capturing Bella's wrists and tugging her down to sit with her. "Oh, you know, perhaps we should get some nice, warm clothes on you before you catch a cold." Alice offered, but as she tried to stand up, Bella frantically collected Alice in her arms and brought them side by side on the bed again.

"No, Alice, we need to talk first. I'll be fine until we get done." The human squeezed the vampire's hands and pleaded with her eyes. Alice could not deny Bella this any longer.

"Ok, well I'm the one who probably has a lot more secrets, so I'll begin." Alice spoke and continued to look Bella evenly in the eyes. "If at any point this gets to be too much, just tell me and I'll stop."

_I doubt that'll happen, but God you're sweet to offer. What are you, like a vampire sent from heaven?_

Bella couldn't help, but chuckle at her own thought, causing Alice to raise an eyebrow in confusion. That motion made Bella feel another small blush attempt to wiggle up her neck and onto her face. This time she let it run its course, but quickly nodded to Alice, urging her to go on.

"As you've now discovered, myself and my family are a coven of vampires. But I want to assure you right away that you have nothing to fear with me. While it's true that most vampires do feed off of human blood, just like the bastard you ran into in the past, my family and I drink animal blood. I'm not really proud of that either, but it's what we must do to survive." Bella sat still listening to the vampire intently with her hands comfortably lounging in Alice's, but inwardly, she was already struggling.

_They live off of animal blood? Richard never mentioned that that was possible. I suppose that could even explain why none of them have those horrible red eyes like that murderer did._

"Of course we try to keep our true existence hidden." Alice carried on. "Humans wouldn't understand us. And since we don't age, we have to move quite often, so no one gets suspicious. But I always wanted to tell you about us so badly. From the moment I saw you coming to Forks, I knew you were someone special; someone I could reveal my real self to." Bella cut Alice off before she could continue.

"What do you mean you saw me coming to Forks?" Bella squinted oddly in the vampire's direction, eliciting a laugh like wind chimes to erupt from Alice.

"Hmmm, yes well, about that. Not only am I a vampire, but I can also see the future. It's based on the choices people make, so it's not an exact science, but I knew you were coming here." Bella's jaw dropped ever so slightly, but Alice politely tipped it back into place with her fingers.

"Shall I go on, or is this enough for tonight?" Alice lowered her eyes and whispered again to Bella. It broke the human's heart to see her dear friend, her love, be so frightened to speak with her about this.

Bella began brushing her fingertips up and down Alice's bare arm. The feeling was exquisite, like a thousand tiny bolts of lightning were flying from Alice's skin and splashing onto Bella's, molding to the contours of her whole body. "I want you to tell me everything you think is important for me to know right now."

Alice slowly bobbed her head, but something didn't feel right to Bella.

_Why does she seem so sad all of the sudden? So pained. What is it that she could say to me that would make herself this upset?_

The teenager didn't have to wait long to find out. Alice lifted her head back up to gaze into Bella's eyes again. This time those honey filled orbs didn't swirl or dance. This time those soft, pale thumbs didn't stroke the tops of Bella's hands.

"Then I guess there's really just one more thing to cover for now. Like I said before, I had desired to tell you about us all along, but I didn't because I also saw the decision you would have to make once I did tell you. From my visions, I knew of your relationship with a vampire hunter named Richard. I saw the promises you made to him and the weapon he supplied you with." Alice gestured over to the black bottle sitting peacefully on Bella's desk. The human hung her head in shame and guilt at this knowledge.

"I've seen the war inside you over what to do with me. So I hoped that if you could first get to know a part of me, then I could show you the rest and maybe there would still be a chance you wouldn't . . . want to kill me." Bella bit down on her lip in anger.

_What the hell is wrong with me? This whole time I've thought I'm the one trying to protect people from monsters. But here I am, the real monster in disguise. _

"Wait, Alice, you said you could see what people's decisions were. So what will I chose when it comes to this vampire thing?" Bella begged, grabbing Alice's shoulders and pulling herself closer to the vampire, so their knees were bumping together.

"That's what worries me Bella, I don't know. In all of my visions, it ends just before I can see what you do. It means that deep down you aren't sure what you'll do to me. You aren't sure if you'll want kill me or not." Bella cringed at hearing Alice's words.

_That can't be right. I need Alice. I love her. _

"You loved your mom very much Bella. I understand how much you hate vampires. You have every right to feel that way. I just thought, maybe I could change your mind. At least about a few of us. I think I should give you some time to kick all of this around in your head." Alice freed herself from Bella's hold and stood to walk the four steps to the window.

Step one. A wrecking ball pummels into Bella's brain.

_No._

Step two. A whip of thunder claps through Bella's nervous system.

_Wait._

Step three. Gunshots vibrate in Bella's feet.

_I can't._

Step four. Bella's heart beats.

_I have to._

The moment Alice's fingers gripped the windowsill, ready to pull her over the hurdle, Bella charged toward her. Alice twirled in place to receive the tackle she felt Bella mounting, but instead they merged. Arms entwined around waists and backs. Chests meshed and heaved, leaving one momentarily breathless. Hips crashed and dove as one.

"Alice you have. You have changed my mind baby." Bella gulped one last time before they fully connected and then, it happened. Icy lips miraculously moved slowly in comparison to the rest of the collision, absorbing the hot lips being given. The result left Bella craving for Alice to be merciful and never stop this onslaught of affection. Tingling currents ripped through the human's being as cold kisses were deposited across her burning cheeks, along her enflamed jaw, and down her scorched neck. Yes, Alice was merciful indeed.

Bella tangled her fingers into her vampire's wet hair and gorged herself on Alice's scent. No drug could ever rival this form of intoxication. Alice grinned against Bella's flesh and let the teenager push her much stronger body back into the wall. Once there, Bella leaned far enough away from Alice simply so she could plow back into those generous lips with full force. The shockwave made Bella jump and Alice moan. Desperately seeking more purchase, Bella wildly flicked her tongue over Alice's freezing lips. Again, Alice was most merciful. The vampire loosened her mouth and was instantly rewarded with Bella's tongue gently, but steadily beginning to explore. Unfortunately, Bella's human needs overpowered her all encompassing lust and she unlocked herself from Alice to let her lungs recover.

Alice took this moment to slow things down and so she cradled Bella in her arms and brought them over to lie in the bed. Bella whined in protest, but Alice silenced her with an endless stream of pecks to the human's forehead and ears. Once the two were settled on the mattress, with Alice's back to the headboard and Bella snuggled in her chest, Alice softly hummed and rocked Bella to sleep.

Bella slept soundly throughout the night, never squirming away in the slightest from Alice's grasp. And Alice Cullen had a vision. One of forgiveness and love. Smiling wide and closing her eyes to lose herself in the moment, Alice Cullen was at peace.

Bella Swan would never hurt her.


	7. The folly of future

Hello again everyone. Thank you very much for the reviews, it really does help. Keep it up! I know everyone is extremely concerned with what is in the black vial and how it could let simple, little Bella kill all-mighty Alice. You all are just falling right into my trap. Soon, many things will be revealed, I promise. And because you had to wait a little while for this chapter, I'm making it extra long. By the way, I tried to avoid the inevitable "Bella meets the Cullens" phase, but, well it was inevitable.

The folly of future

Forks could truly be a most beautiful town in the early hours of the morning. Golden orange beams of sunlight peaked through the large and strong arms of the trees surrounding the houses and shops. Birds ruffled their feathers to waken and prepare to chant their haunting melodies. Deer herds stopped to catch a drink of pristine water at a stream or graze peacefully in a field. To take in a full breath of air from quiet, subdued Forks would be like gathering the essence of perfection and letting it wash over your senses. These early morning pleasures were things most people could easily miss since most people were still sound asleep in their comfortable beds, in their comfortable niche in the world.

These bits of serenity, however, were not lost on a vampire who cannot sleep.

Alice Cullen enjoyed all of these marvels as she held gently, but protectively onto Bella Swan. No matter where her family had lived in her beyond a century lifetime, Alice was always the first one to take in the natural beauty of the place. Forks was one of the vampire's favorite homes and she was immensely pleased whenever the Cullens decided to return to Forks for a time.

Last night, shortly after Bella quite literally showed Alice her true feelings for the vampire and then collapsed in her arms, Alice finally had the vision she had been desperately hoping for. Bella made the decision to not carry through with her attempt to kill Alice. Said Cullen knew of the severe hatred Bella originally had for vampires, since a nomadic one had been the cause of Bella's beloved mother's death, but love was able to triumph over hate after all.

Before Alice could completely let her guard down and revel in what seemed to be a wonderful moment in her life, a new vision possessed her with frightening force.

_Bella was talking to Richard over the phone, pretending to be ready to exterminate the Cullens. She was currently asking him what the secret black vial contained and this feeble weapon could kill a vampire. Richard's answer was muffled, unclear, but whatever he told Bella was not entirely true._

When Alice was flung out of her vision, she instinctively inhaled deeply. Of course breathing for a vampire was not necessary, but some still did out of habit or, in Alice's case, more as a reflex at times.

What she saw did not bode well with her. Alice had been very curious of the black bottle ever since she saw it in her first visions of Bella holding it, contemplating her next move with it. Alice tried to explain what it looked like to Carlisle; he was the father figure of the family and had been alive the longest. He researched, but couldn't fathom what was inside that little, glass vial. Alice was sure about one thing, though, whatever secrets the vial held, it actually scared her.

Such a feeling was not familiar to Alice and that alone made her more uncomfortable. She looked over to the bottle sitting across the room on the desk now and again felt a strange sensation in the pit of her stomach that made her grimace. Even though she had incredible strength, inhuman speed, everlasting endurance, and impeccable senses, somewhere in Alice's still heart, she knew that black liquid did indeed have the mysterious ability to end her undead life.

She couldn't tell Bella this, it would only upset the girl who seemed to doubt the power of the contents of the vial, but at least Alice saw Bella trying to learn the secret behind its magic. Even if the human would only be given a half truth.

A more pressing matter presented itself at that moment and knocked Alice out of her troubled thoughts: Bella was stirring.

Painfully slowly and accompanied with equally pained moans, Bella began to whirl around in Alice's frozen arms. At first Alice took this as a cue that Bella didn't appreciate waking up in such cold company, so the Cullen sorrowfully started to extricate her appendages from the humans. That was until Bella lazily slapped her arms over Alice's to keep them in place and gurgled sleepily, "I-hate-mornings."

Oh, so Bella just didn't appreciate waking up period.

This realization tickled Alice.

_She wouldn't have to worry about waking up if she was a vampire with me._

Alice berated herself after thinking this. She knew Bella was to be her mate, that was clear, but she wasn't sure yet if changing Bella was appropriate. The teenager didn't have a bright past with Alice's kind, and the rest of the Cullens hadn't properly been introduced to Bella yet.

_Perhaps I should make that happen sometime. Soon._

Bella couldn't resist flopping around in Alice's arms and the vampire knew, as much as she may want to fight it, Bella was coming out of her slumber. Begrudgingly, Bella did flicker her eyes groggily open and let out one last pitiful whine. Once she laid those mourning eyes on Alice, however, her cheeks colored and she released a charming little grin.

"Good morning beautiful. Did you have fun watching me sleep? I'm sure you heard and saw many attractive things." Bella propped herself up, let her lips crash into Alice's cheek, and wiggled her eyebrows at her own comment. Alice rewarded her with a harmonious giggle and swiped her lips lightly against Bella's nose.

"Oh yes, most enjoyable. I especially got all hot and bothered when you grumbled something about hand feeding me dead rabbits. Or maybe I was just mostly bothered by that." Alice winked at her human and allowed Bella to scoff and smack her icy shoulder. After a pause between laughter, Alice gave Bella a slightly more serious look.

"As much as I love playing around with you like this and want nothing more that to make you breakfast, I really think I should go get some breakfast myself. It's a little more imperative." Bella nodded glumly to Alice and sat up to let the vampire leave the bed. Before Alice could slip through the window, though, Bella draped herself over the Cullen's back and squeezed tightly.

"Will you come back after Charlie leaves for work? We don't have any school today after all. It's a teacher's workshop or something like that." Bella breathed this into Alice's neck who then turned around to face Bella.

"Of course I'll come back. Perhaps I actually will take you to my house today. My parents would love to meet the infamous Bella Swan." Alice flew another saucy wink Bella's way and surely the human would have melted from lust if she wasn't already melting from dread.

"But what about Edward? I pissed him off pretty bad yesterday." Bella let her eyes fall down to her bare feet in shame. Alice simply huffed and tilted the teen's chin back up to gaze into those dancing, gold orbs.

"Believe me, it will be fine. Edward knows he was ultimately in the wrong. Besides, everyone loves me far too much to question my choices. Now I've got to go before I start nibbling on your throat." To reassure her, Alice pulled Bella into a passionate kiss, with the human's ear mind you, then retreated with a smile and flipped backwards out of Bella's window. Naturally, the vampire landed on her feet safely on the ground and sped off into the forest.

_She is so freakishly amazing. And I can't believe I won her affection. She must be crazy too._

Bella shook her head and smirked at her own thoughts. Processing the events that unfolded with Alice's last night was surprisingly easy for Bella, but understanding the vampire's love was a whole other pill to swallow.

_Not only am I a rather foolish human, but she knew ahead of time that I might try to kill her. I can't imagine a girl like Alice being so desperate that she was willing to be with someone, even if they wished her dead!_

This musing brought something back to Bella's attention that had been plaguing her for some time now.

_The black vial. I need to know what's inside of it. I need to make sure I don't ever kill Alice on accident._

Bella fumbled around the room, exploring every inch of it to find her cell phone. She needed to call Richard. She needed to get some answers and tell some lies.

_I bet whatever is in that stupid bottle can't even kill a vampire for real. Richard's probably just some fat idiot who obviously doesn't know anything about true vampires._

Bella nodded her head and smiled at this. Everything would be ok.

The line on the other end had ringed enough times that Bella was about to hang up, convinced Richard was still sleeping, until a raspy voice answered.

"He-hello? Who is this? Do you have any idea what time it is?" Richard's baritone response coughed out.

"Hey, Richard, it's Bella Swan. Look, I know it's early, but I really needed to talk to you. Urgent hunter stuff you know." Bella could hear Richard swear under his breath a few times as he attempted to straighten himself out. Finally he cleared his voice and spoke again.

"Yes, Bella, it's good to hear from you. How are things going up there? What have you found out?" She could tell Richard was eagerly awaiting everything Bella was about to say.

"Well, you were right. The Cullens are a coven of vampires. I think I've managed to successfully infiltrate their ranks and gain a little of their trust now. I'd like to commence with our plan of action and begin eliminated them. But Richard, there's one issue: you've never told me how to actually use the black vial you gave me." The other end was silent, aside from some heavy breathing, for a couple of moments before Richard's gravely deep voice could be heard again.

"Yeah I guess I did forget to tell you that. I suppose I never really thought you would find anything in good ol' Forks. Now listen closely Bella because this is very important. That vial holds an incredibly potent poison, but don't worry, it only works with vampire physiology. All you have to do before you know you're going to confront the Cullen coven is drink the potion. Again, it won't harm you at all; it'll be like a nice sip of water. But the moment a vampire bites into your skin, they'll start to die. This will all happen even before a vampire has time to release any of their venom into your bloodstream, which would turn you into one of them. Then, you get to sit back and watch the fun. I have witnessed a number of vampires die from this poison and let me tell you, it is quite glorious! Their agony and anguish is so impressive. You will surely enjoy it since you have been put through so much pain by them yourself." Bella felt sick to her stomach while listening to Richard. She may want the one vampire who slaughtered her mother to face this treatment, but Bella shivered at the thought of seeing her dear Alice have to suffer like so.

"Oh and Bella, one more thing. A vampire hunter who has ingested the poison will have enough of it coursing through their veins to fell up to three vampires, but I know you said there are seven Cullens. All of them will need to be taken care of, so I'm going to round up a few more hunters and we'll fly to Forks and help you. I know you're probably craving the tremendous satisfaction you'd get from such a big kill, but you just can't do this one alone." Bella shuddered upon hearing this. She needed to be done with this conversation; it was getting to be too much for her to handle.

"Yeah, yeah I guess you're right. When do you think you'll be here?" Whatever Richard's answer could be, Bella knew it would always be too soon.

"Let me check online." For a few minutes Bella was forced to sit, shivering, and listen to Richard click his fingers across his keyboard.

"It looks like we could be there as soon as next Tuesday." Bella opened her mouth to protest; to say anything that might delay Richard's arrival. Her voice was stifled before it could even collect enough strength to make a sound.

"And it's booked. Alright, so I'll just call you when we've arrived and got a hotel. I'm so excited for you Bella; this is going to be great!" The massive smile that slung itself over Richard's face could be heard all the way in good ol' Forks.

"Totally Richard. I'll talk to you soon." Without another word, Bella pressed a button to end the worst phone call of her life.

So everything was far from ok.

Bella heard Charlie stomping around downstairs by now. How she longed to be like her father at this present moment. So blissfully ignorant of all the sadness and chaos that was soon to find its way battering into her.

Bella launched herself back into bed and pretended to sleep as Charlie climbed the stairs and knocked on her door. She pushed her eyelids to remain closed while he planted a quick kiss atop her head and tried to quietly exit the house. Yes, how pleasant it would be to just stay asleep and let the storm passing, causing destruction as it may, but at least not visible to her resting eye.

_Alice will be back soon. She needs to know about all of this. We need to come up with . . . something._

Bella didn't have to suffer alone for long before her faithful companion returned. Soaring through the window with a delighted grin on her face, Alice was simply too cute for Bella to remain jarred in turmoil. The two embraced immediately after Bella leapt off her bed and continued to stand in that position for some time before Bella felt strong enough to say anything.

"Alice, Richard and some of the others are coming. I faked a story and told him I was ready to kill all of you, but wanted to know how to use that fucking stuff in the vial. I swear I just wanted to know so that I didn't hurt you on accident, but now they're coming to help me off all of you!" Soft sobs began to rake over Bella's body, but Alice held her close.

"Bella, what did Richard say when you asked him what the liquid would do to a vampire?" Alice kept her voice calm and sweet while she asked this question. When she wasn't met with a reply right away, she simply continued to rub Bella's back and nuzzle her with the side of her head.

"He told me I had to drink it, but, it wouldn't hurt me. Then, when one of you bit me, it would kill you before you could even deposit any venom into me. Alice, he told me the pain you would experience would be, excruciating." Bella cried harder into Alice's neck, but felt the shorter vampire begin to tremble with a fit of giggles. Bella slowly untangled herself from Alice and looked half-confusedly, half-horrified at Alice.

"Well then, that part shouldn't be too difficult to deal with, since none of us intend to bite anyone." Alice smiled and waved off Bella's odd looks. After sniffling away her tears, Bella gained her composure and crept back from Alice just a little.

"Bella, we need to see my family now. It sounds like we don't have much time and they can help us come up with a plan to get rid of these guys." Alice silently pleaded with Bella to be ready for what was being asked of her and the human hesitantly nodded back.

"I guess they are as much a part of this as we are. Can I get dressed and stuff first? I at least want to look presentable before they tear my jugular out." Alice groaned in defiance to Bella's words, but relaxed when she saw Bella toss a small smirk at her. Alice moved to proceed downstairs to let Bella change, gently laying a kiss at the corner of Bella's mouth. The human blushed to herself in the empty room and touched the spot where chilled lips had been. Nonchalantly, the teenager rummaged through her clothing to find a decent, clean outfit.

* * *

Fifteen minutes had a way of feeling like a lifetime, at least to Bella. After this short life finally ended, Bella found her way tripping down the stairs to search out Alice.

_What has she been doing this whole time? There can't be anything of interest here to a vampire._

Needless to say, Bella was shocked with what she discovered Alice had busied herself with. Sitting with her legs casually crossed and wearing a frown plastered across her face, Alice sat at the old couch in the living room. She was rifling through one of Charlie's sports magazines and had a plate of warm French toast on the coffee table in front of her.

"Is that for me?" Bella broke the quiet and pointed to the breakfast food. Alice slowly turned her head toward Bella and confirmed that it was. Bella rounded around the couch, sat next to Alice, and picked up the fork and knife by the plate to start eating.

After a few more minutes past without any noise other than Bella's chewing, the human realized Alice had never took her sight from the magazine. Swallowing one more delicious mouthful of syrupy, toasty goodness, Bella glanced over to her partner.

"Um, Alice, is something wrong with sports? I mean, other than how vulgar it can be." This question finally drew Alice from her stare at the pages and she swiveled her head to face Bella with a curious look.

"You humans . . . sweat a lot." Bella choked as she laughed from deep in her chest. Alice had to pat the teenager several times until Bella could speak adequately enough.

"Well, men usually sweat more than women, but yeah, we humans do have a tendency to do that from time to time. Don't you remember what it was like to sweat?" Bella matched Alice's intense eyes while asking this.

_No matter how old Alice might be, surely she wouldn't forget the gross yet strangely relieving feel of sweat?_

Alice could sense Bella's confusion, so she cracked a tiny smile for her human. "No, I can't say I do remember what sweating was like. Honestly, I don't really remember anything from my human life. That's not a normal occurrence for vampires, but for me, I think it was for the best." Alice's smile become a sad one, but before Bella could dwell on it, the vampire hoisted the teen into her arms and brought them outside.

"We'll clean up when we get back. But it's time you meet all of the Cullens now." Without wasting any more time, and possibly hearing more protests from Bella, Alice used her unnatural speed to reach her home in a little under five minutes.

Bella's scrumptious French toast wasn't feeling so scrumptious any longer.

When Bella did open her eyes again, at Alice's prompting, she was met with a sight much like one she had had in a dream before. The large house before her was made of multiple sheets of glass and panels of steel. Everything gleamed brilliantly in the sunshine that was sparking through the trees. Including, to Bella's great surprise, Alice. The human jumped from her vampire's arms and gazed wide-eyed over Alice's twinkling skin. Everywhere the sun pierced Alice's complexion, invisible gems glinted back. The human's mouth began to unravel, but Alice quickly kissed it closed.

"I know I know, there's still much I have to tell you. For now, just enjoy the view." Alice gave her patented wink and Bella was pursued her automatically with a response.

"Oh don't worry, I most certainly will." The two started to laugh, but stopped abruptly when Alice turned to face the front door. Bella cautiously did the same as the remaining six members of the Cullen family stepped out into the morning afternoon light.

Bella had seen Alice's brothers and sister plenty of times in school, witnessing the beauty of all of them, but for some reason she wasn't quite prepared to see the astonishing features of their parents. Alice grabbed Bella's hand and guided her closer to the vampires for proper introductions.

"Bella, you know Emmet, Rosalie, Jasper, and Edward." Alice ticked off each of her siblings down the line while Bella nodded her head and smiled at the respective member. When she came to Edward, two reluctant smiles mingled and neither could allow their eyes to connect.

"But these are my wonderful parents, Carlisle and Esme." Alice gave each a light hug before stepping out of the way to let Bella have access to them. The father bowed slightly to Bella and the mother instantly scooped the human up into her arms and embraced her as gently as her compassionate limbs could muster.

_She feels like, mom._

Esme released Bella shortly thereafter and Carlisle signaled for everyone to enter the living room. Once inside, each vampire, and human, found a comfortable spot on a couch or chair. Carlisle and Esme looked to Alice expectantly and waited for her to talk. When she did begin, Bella seized one of Alice's hands in her lap, fearing what the coven might have to say.

"As you all know, I did not bring Bella here for a simple meet-and-greet. I've kept each of you up-to-date on my visions and feelings this very special human, but now things have got a little more interesting." Bella saw Esme grin when Alice mentioned the importance of Bella to her before letting the second part of Alice's statement sink in.

"Please don't tell me the girl as gotten herself into trouble already and we need to save her." Rosalie mumbled from a chair in the corner near Emmet. Alice continued as if she didn't hear her sister's outburst.

"Bella tried to tell the hunters she would take care of us herself, but they insisted on coming up to help her. We should expect a few of them soon." Now Rosalie hissed and stood, knocking her chair onto its back in a rush.

"Oh, so she's gotten us into trouble. Get rid of her Alice!" Esme hushed her angered daughter and Emmet pulled her down into his lap. After a moment, Carlisle cleared his throat and looked at Bella.

"How long do we have?" Bella relaxed the grip she had on Alice's hand when she felt a sudden wave of calm flood over her entire body.

"Four days. They'll call me when they have gotten unpacked and prepared themselves." Carlisle somberly nodded his approval.

"We can do that. I suppose you came because we need a plan then?" Carlisle now turned to Alice to see her agreeing with him. All in occupancy sat in silence for a couple minutes before everyone seemed to have their own plan. Emmet yearned for a full on assault. Rosalie and Edward wanted to flee before the hunters arrived. And Alice and Esme devised a course to prove to the vampire hunters that their family was no threat. Amidst the quickened vampire shouting, Jasper spoke in a calmed voice at human speed.

"Alice, Bella, did we ever come to find out exactly what the contents of that mysterious black vial could do to us?" Bella stuttered for a second, and then shook her head vigorously.

"Yes, the hunter will drink it beforehand and then when one of you bites them, which of course you wouldn't, but they don't know that. Any-any ways, when one of you bites them then it's supposed to work like poison to you. The human remains unharmed, but the moment their poisoned blood hits your lips, you begin to die and horrible death." Bella gulped nervously, but saw all of the Cullens nodding in contemplation.

"Then, if you don't mind, I think I have it figured out." Jasper questioned the family and all let him have the floor.

"You already told them that you were onboard to take us down, so we'll run with that. Meet up with the hunters when they come, but tell them that all of us have fled from Forks. You don't know where we are, but wherever it is, it's far from here. Let them know that Alice, however, has stayed and wants to face them. She is broken and abandoned and will surrender to you. I trust that in the past you tried to convince them that Alice is a just and kind vampire yes?" Bella bashfully lowered her gaze, but nodded her concurrence. Alice smiled to herself and squeezed Bella's hand.

"Good, so from there you will take them to meet Alice in the woods. We'll pick a spot beforehand. Bella, you must pretend that you've already drank your potion for this to work because when you two meet up, you'll have to do some acting. Alice will say she still wants to die like a vampire and taste you blood. You'll go to her and she will pretend to bit your neck. Truly she will simply prick your throat with her fingernail to make it bleed. Alice, you must then fake your death. It sounds like you should appear to be in an enormous amount of pain, but it has to still be believable. Hopefully this will satisfy the hunters and they will then leave." A few heads shook impressively upon hearing Jasper's plan, but Bella was still quite scared with possibilities.

"But what if they don't believe Alice's fake death? I mean, maybe there's a special thing that happens when the poison comes into contact with vampires!" Bella's eyes flicked around the room anxiously to see if anyone could quell her fears. Alice snorted next to her.

"Hey, I'm a pretty good actress you know! Besides, we have some time before the hunters get here. I'm sure I'll have a vision to see if this really will work." Carlisle made a noise from his chair to get Bella's attention then.

"Yes and I have access to numerous sedatives from the hospital. The rest of us can hide in the trees above the meeting point and if Alice seems to actually be in real danger, we can swoop down and incapacitate the hunters." Bella took a deep breath to steady herself. Everyone was more than a little surprised when it was Edward to speak next.

"Bella, none of us wants this to fail. We wouldn't put anyone's life in jeopardy if we didn't think that it would work." Slowly, all of the Cullens nodded in agreement.

* * *

For close to an hour, everyone in the Cullen house was determined to put serious affairs out of their minds and talk casually. Emmet greatly enjoyed innocently joking with Bella to see her squirm and blush under his comments. Esme toured her through the family's house and Edward took a quick stroll with Bella to apologize for the incident at school. Rosalie and Jasper mostly sat in silence in Bella's presence, though for different reasons.

When Bella decided to call Charlie to beg for the chance to spend the night, though begging was not required, Alice took Carlisle aside to speak with him in his study.

"Carlisle, there's something I need to tell you, but I didn't want to say it in front of everyone." The man motioned for Alice to sit across from him at a small, round table next to the wall adorned with books. The two got comfortable, mildly so for Alice, before she spoke again.

"While Bella still slept this morning, I had a vision of her conversation with Richard. What he told her about the black vial, it isn't entirely true. I don't know what he was leaving out, but there's more to that little bottle than what we all think." Carlisle shook his head absently while still peering at his daughter. He could see her eyes were aglow with worry.

"Did Bella happen to bring the vial with her?" Alice concentrated to remember if she saw or felt it on Bella's person.

"I don't think so, but if Charlie lets her stay tonight then she'll need to go back home to get clothes anyways. We could pick it up." She trailed off there to see what Carlisle had in mind.

"Yes, do that. I'll physically examine it some more, but maybe you did catch his lie and didn't notice it. Perhaps he doesn't trust Bella, so he told her to drink it, which will kill you, but kill her as well. Or maybe he changed his mind at the last moment and did decide to tell her the truth. No matter what, when the time comes we will be close by to assist you if anything is out of order." Alice didn't feel wholly confident in all of this, but there currently was no other choice.

All she could do now was wait and hope that she would receive a vision with a positive outcome.


End file.
